Pegasus's Special Deck
by Shadow's Mirror
Summary: At the end of Duelist Kingdom, Kaiba left the island by helicopter. The last scene shown on the island was of Yugi and the others running after Kaiba in the hopes of catching a lift back with him. It didn't actually show him saying yes... (complete)
1. The Return of Bandit Keith

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: Text in 'single quotations' is being thought. Text in "double quotations" is being spoken. This will remain the same in each chapter. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: At the end of Duelist Kingdom, Kaiba left the island by helicopter. The last scene shown on the island was of Yugi and the others running after Kaiba in the hopes of catching a lift back with him. It didn't actually show him saying yes...

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**Pegasus's Special Deck  
Chapter 1: The Return of Bandit Keith**  
By Shadow's Mirror

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Bandit Keith scowled as he hauled himself out of the water and onto the beach. Not only had he been humiliated in his defeat at the hands of that smart-alec kid, Joey Wheeler, but his backup plan to gain the cash had also failed. He'd gone to all that trouble for nothing! He snarled and stared up at the castle looming on the cliff-top far above him. No! He was not going to let Pegasus get away with this! He started to make his way back to the castle, plans for his revenge already taking shape within his mind.

'I'll wait until I see my chance and then I'll teach Pegasus a lesson. He'll pay for dumping me in the water! Let's see how he likes it when I steal some of his precious cards!'

It was well after dark by the time Keith reached the castle. He was hot, tired, hungry and thirsty, but he was also still fuming over his defeat. When the castle came into view, he hid behind a tree and glared at it with fury burning in his eyes. He was so mad that it took a moment for him to realise what he was seeing. Or rather, what he wasn't seeing.

'Huh? Why aren't there any guards? Last time, Pegasus had men surrounding the place like it was some kind of fortress! Hmm… I guess the competition must be over by now, so Pegasus isn't as worried about security. Heh. This must be my lucky day!'

Keith approached cautiously, but became bolder when no alarm was raised. He entered the castle and started searching through the rooms, warily at first but with increasing confidence as no one appeared to question or stop him. It was beginning to look as though the castle was deserted.

It wasn't long before he came to the guestrooms where he and the others had slept the night before. Keith could hear voices in one of the rooms. It was the first sign of life he'd encountered. Moving as silently as he could, he made his way closer until he could make out the words.

"So, what do we do now, Yug? I can't believe Kaiba refused to give us a lift! What with you helping him and his brother and all. Man, I should have told him off!" Keith's fists clenched at the sound of Wheeler's voice. He would have liked nothing better than to show himself and demand a rematch, but it was obvious that the brat wasn't alone and Keith knew he'd have other opportunities.

"Yeah! Still, at least he said he'd send a boat back for us." Keith recognised the voice. It belonged to the brown haired boy. What was the name again? Tincan? Trashcan? Tristan! That was it!

Joey's voice came again. "Lot of good that does us. It won't get here until the day after tomorrow! Which means we're stuck here!" There was a loud bang, like the sound of a foot kicking the wall, then a heavy sigh. "Could be worse I guess. At least that creep Pegasus disappeared after you beat him. His men too. Kinda weird how quick they all vanished, huh?"

"I know, Joey." It was the spiky-haired kid. Yugi. "I'm a bit worried about it, but this place seems safe enough so why don't we stay here tonight? We can make our way back to the dock tomorrow. What do you think?"

"Sounds like a plan, Yug!" Keith gritted his teeth at Joey's annoying enthusiasm.

"Yeah! I definitely don't want to stay here any longer than I have to." That was Tristan.

"I agree. This place does have a rather eerie feel to it." A shiver ran down Keith's back at the soft voice with its English accent. The kid's name was Ryou and there was something about him that really creeped Keith out, although he couldn't quite work out what.

"I'll say. But at least we have one more night in comfort." Keith was mildly surprised to hear Mai's voice. He hadn't figured her to be one of their cosy little group. He frowned as he remembered something. Maybe that explained how Wheeler had managed to come up with that card during the tournament, even though Keith had stolen it from him the night before!

"Then we're all agreed. We'll stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning." A girl's voice broke into Keith's thoughts. It took him a moment to remember her name. Téa. Yeah, that was it.

The group's voices started getting louder. They were heading his way. Bandit Keith slipped back along the hallway, barely able to keep himself from laughing out loud at what he'd learned. 'So, Pegasus was beaten and couldn't handle it huh? Man, I wish I'd been here to see it! Still, that makes this almost too easy. Let's see what little secrets Pegasus has lying around this place!'

- - -

It didn't take Keith long to find the secret card room hidden behind a wall in Pegasus's study. He let out a long whistle of appreciation at the sight of row upon row of game cards, slotted into specially designed racks that held them up on the wall. They were all in mint condition and most of them looked as though they'd never been used. There were some gaps in the collection, a fact that made Keith grin. 'This must be where Pegasus boosted his deck before the tournament. Guess he wouldn't mind if I helped myself to one or two.' He began working his way around the room, selecting the choicest cards as he went.

When he was done, Keith turned his attention to the only other item in the room. The filing cabinet was locked, but that was no problem for Keith. He'd been picking locks for years so it only took him a few moments to get the cabinet open. Inside, he was shocked to find files on every one of the duelists who had participated in the tournament. There was even one on him! 'These could come in handy.' As he gathered them up, he noticed something odd about one of the files. It was in a red folder. All of the rest were in plain white folders. 'What do we have here? Seto Kaiba. Heh. Looks like Pegasus was expecting him to put in an appearance the whole time! Let's see what Pegasus has to say about him…'

- - -

By the time Bandit Keith had finished reading the file, he was shaking with excitement. 'Why Pegasus, I never knew you had it in you! This is evil. It's perfect!' With a cruel grin, Keith returned to the filing cabinet and took out the small box that had been mentioned in the file. The file had not only said what it contained, but it had explained the contents in full detail. After stuffing his ill-gotten gains into his pack, Keith hurried off to make his preparations for the following day.

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To be continued...


	2. Trouble in the Tower

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

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**Pegasus's Special Deck  
Chapter 2: Trouble in the Tower**  
By Shadow's Mirror

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"It's no good Yug! We've searched everywhere and there's just no sign of her! Téa's vanished!" Joey hurried up to Yugi, Ryou right behind him. Tristan came up from the other direction in time to catch Joey's words.

"She has to be here somewhere! That Pegasus! First he cheats and now this!" He punched his hand against the nearest wall, furious.

Yugi shook his head, a worried look in his large amethyst eyes. "No Tristan, I don't think Pegasus was behind this. It's not his style. If he had done something to Téa, he would already have contacted us to boast about it!"

"Yeah, good point Yug. So where does that leave us?" Joey scratched his head. He jumped as Mai's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"'If you want to find your friend, come to the North Tower.'"

"Huh? Mai? What are you talking about?"

Mai held up a note. Her normally calm expression was gone and she looked more than a little worried. "I found this pinned to Téa's door just now."

Everyone froze. Yugi took the note and stared at it without really seeing it, his mind racing. "There was nothing there earlier. We've all been in and out of there for the past hour, ever since we realised that she was gone. So whoever did this… they're playing a game with us."

"Like I said, it's Pegasus! It has to be!" This time, no one could deny the possibility that Tristan was right.

Yugi turned to the others. "Pegasus or not, there's only one thing for us to do. We have to do what the note says!" His eyes gleamed with his determination.

Tristan didn't look happy. "You know it's a trap."

Yugi nodded. "That's why I'll go alone. The rest of you keep searching the castle, just in case, but stay away from the North Tower. If I'm not back by the time you finish, see if you can find a different way in. Be careful!"

The others nodded. "You too Yug!" Joey watched as Yugi ran down the hall. He traded a glance with Tristan. "We're not really just gonna let him go are we?"

Tristan grinned. "I like his plan. I'll stick to it, but it couldn't hurt for you to go back him up." They glanced at Mai and Ryou who nodded back, both looking worried.

"I'll help Tristan to search the castle," Ryou offered softly.

"Fine with me. I'll go with Joey," Mai agreed.

- - -

Yugi opened the only door on the top floor of the tower carefully. He'd already gone through all of the rooms on the other floors, so if there was a trap, it had to be here.

The first things he noticed were the two steel tables in the middle of the otherwise bare room. Then he saw Téa. She was lying on one of the tables, her eyes closed. Without a thought for his own safety, Yugi hurried over to her. 'I don't like the look of this. Why is she just lying there? Is she asleep or unconscious?'

As he got closer, he noticed a strange metal band around her right wrist. The sight of that band gave him an uneasy feeling, but he shook it off to focus on his friend. "Téa? Téa! Wake up!"

Yugi reached out, intending to gently shake Téa's shoulder. Before he could touch her though, there was a loud bang as the door suddenly slammed shut! Yugi whirled around. "What? What's going on! Who's there? Why are you doing this?"

A familiar laugh echoed through the room, surprising him. "Bandit Keith? I thought Pegasus sent you away?"

"Yeah. He thought that too. But it takes more than a dip in the ocean to get rid of me! You and your little friends humiliated me… now it's time for me to do a little humiliating of my own! Nighty-night Yugi! Sweet dreams!"

'Sweet dreams? What does he mean by… oh no!' Yugi gasped as he heard a hissing sound and realised what was going on. Some sort of gas was being piped into the room!

It acted quickly. Within moments Yugi's head was swimming and he was unable to focus on anything properly. He staggered, barely able to stand, and struggled to remain conscious. He could sense his Millennium Puzzle beginning to react to the danger, but he knew it wouldn't work. Not even the spirit of the Puzzle could stand up to this! As he slipped into unconsciousness, two thoughts raced through Yugi's mind.

'Grandpa! I just saved you and now I might never see you again!'

'If Keith hurts Yugi or any of our friends, he will regret it!'

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To be continued...


	3. When is a Duel not a Duel?

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

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**Pegasus's Special Deck  
Chapter 3: When is a Duel not a Duel?**  
By Shadow's Mirror

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"Yugi? Yugi, wake up. Please Yugi, you have to wake up! We have to get out of here!"

Yugi opened his eyes to the sound of Téa's panicked voice and blinked. "Téa?" He was confused. The last thing he remembered was being in a room where Téa lay on a table, but now she was tugging on his arm and they seemed to be in the middle of a meadow of wildflowers.

"Yugi! Come on! Hurry! We have to get out of here!"

"But… Téa, why? What's going on? What happened to you?"

Téa shook her head, still pulling at him. "Nothing. Yet. That's why we have to hurry!"

"I… I don't understand…" He scrambled to his feet, Téa's panic starting to worry him.

"Neither do I. Now come on!" Téa started running and Yugi had a tough time catching up to her.

"Téa! Wait! What are we running from?"

"The duelist! We have to get away before he challenges us!"

"Duelist? You mean Bandit Keith?"

"Bandit Keith? What does he have to do with this?" Téa could barely talk from running.

"I'm not sure. I found you in a room, lying on a table, but then someone locked me in. Keith's' voice came over the intercom. He said something about humiliating all of us, and then the room started filling with gas. The next thing I knew, I was here."

"But how did he… oh!" They'd been running towards a forest and Téa let out a cry as someone stepped out of the trees. She skidded to a stop and Yugi narrowly avoided running into her.

"Téa! What? Who? Huh? Mokuba? What's he doing here?" Yugi blinked in surprise as the young boy began to walk calmly towards them.

"That's… that's not Mokuba… he's the duelist I saw earlier… he was dueling Seto Kaiba, only it wasn't…" Téa shivered and shrank back as the figure kept coming. "It wasn't a… regular duel…"

"It wasn't? Téa… I don't understand. Please Téa, you have to tell me what's going on!" But Téa only grabbed Yugi's hand and started running the other way, forcing Yugi to run too.

"Téa!"

"We have to… get away!"

- - -

Téa didn't stop running until they were back in the middle of the meadow and Mokuba was nowhere in sight, then she sank to the ground in exhaustion. Yugi followed her and it was several long moments before either one of them could talk.

"Téa… what…?" Yugi was too confused about what was going on to be coherent, but Téa understood exactly what he wanted to know.

"I went to sleep in my room in the castle, but something woke me up. Then someone hit me. The next time I woke up, I was lying in a clearing in a forest. I walked around for a while and then I heard some strange sounds. Cries and groans. I thought someone was hurt so I went to see if I could help." Téa shivered at the memory.

"At first I thought I was dreaming. I mean, why would Seto Kaiba be battling his little brother? Except… as I watched, I realised that it wasn't a real battle. Only Mokuba was using cards, Seto… Seto was standing on the playing field like he was a Duel Monster, except Mokuba wasn't using monsters to attack him. His cards… they were… they were…" Téa shivered again.

Yugi was concerned. He'd never seen his friend so upset before. He patted her shoulder and she looked up at him, her eyes wide and frightened. "I've never seen cards like those before. They weren't attacking him, they were just… doing mean things to him."

Téa's voice was so soft that for a moment Yugi wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. "Mean things? I don't understand…"

"No. But you will." As Mokuba's soft voice sounded from nearby, Téa gasped and scrambled to her feet. Before Yugi could do the same, Mokuba spoke again. There was an odd harshness to his voice. "Activate punishment - Téa!"

"No!" Téa cried out as the metal bracelet on her wrist began to glow. Yugi was startled. He hadn't noticed it before. It was the same as the one he'd seen on her before falling unconscious! Suddenly aware of a heavy weight around his own wrist, Yugi glanced down. Sure enough, a similar bracelet was looped around his wrist too!

The air around them began to shift. Yugi jumped to his feet as the meadow disappeared and he, Mokuba and Téa were instantly standing in a forest clearing. At Téa's frightened whimper, Yugi's fears vanished into anger. His Millennium Puzzle began to glow.

Yami frowned at Mokuba. "What is the meaning of this?"

"No! Yugi run! Get away!" Téa was clearly frightened, but she wasn't running. It was as though she were frozen with fear. Or unable to move. Mokuba's next words confirmed Yami's suspicions.

"Yugi can run, but you cannot. You've been a naughty girl. Now it's time for you to be punished."

"What are you doing Mokuba?" Yami tried to move forward, to place himself between Mokuba and Téa, but there was some sort of invisible force-field in place. He ran his hand along it. It seemed to be enclosing them, as though they were in some sort of… dueling arena! "Téa!"

"Yugi! Please! Go!" Her words shocked Yami. Téa was asking… no… begging him to leave her when she clearly needed help? Something was very wrong here.

"Téa, what is going on?" But Téa turned her head away, refusing to answer.

Mokuba held up his hand and a deck suddenly appeared on it. If Yami hadn't glanced that way in time, he would have missed seeing it. Suddenly everything fell into place. "Téa! This place! It isn't real! It's some kind of…" Yami struggled to find the right word. From deep inside his mind, Yugi supplied the term. "Virtual Reality!"

Téa looked over at him and the look in her eyes made his heart freeze in pain. "I know. But even if it isn't real, I still don't want you seeing…"

Before she could finish speaking, Mokuba interrupted. "Enough talk! It's time to duel!" He held up a card. "I play a magic card. Kitty Costume!"

As Yami watched in shock, a cloud of dark red mist suddenly descended on Téa, enveloping her completely. As it did so however, it became transparent so its effect was immediately obvious. It's job done, the mist vanished from the field, leaving Téa dressed in a black halter top and pleated miniskirt with a long black tail attached to it. The costume was completed with black furry socks and gloves designed to look like paws and a headband with black furry ears attached to it!

Yami blinked. He'd never seen anything like it before. He was so busy studying the costume that it took him a moment to notice the blush colouring Téa's cheeks. Apparently she was embarrassed at being seen like that. But it didn't explain why she had wanted him to leave, or why she was so frightened. Even now, he could see her trembling.

"Now I use the trap card, Kitty Collar!" Mokuba's voice drew Yami out of his thoughts. He gasped as a black velvet collar suddenly appeared around Téa's neck. It was connected to a length of chain that immediately flew into Mokuba's hand. The boy smiled and a shiver of unease ran down Yami's spine. Even though he had realised that it wasn't really Mokuba, only a virtual version of him, it was still very disconcerting to see someone familiar acting in such a strange way.

"You've been a very naughty kitty. Time for you to learn to behave. With this card, I can control your actions. Now then Kitty Téa… Dance! That's right, dance for me!"

Yami couldn't believe his ears. A moment later, it was his eyes that he couldn't believe. Téa started to dance. For a moment he watched her graceful movements, relieved that it was something that she enjoyed doing. Then he noticed the blank look on her face.

It wasn't Téa dancing at all! The card was merely using her, as if she was some kind of puppet! Fury raced through Yami, bringing determination with it. He refused to simply stand by and watch for another moment! "That is enough! This ends now!" His eyes blazed as he focused his strength. The Millennium Puzzle gleamed as the symbol of the Millennium Eye flashed on Yami's forehead.

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To be continued...


	4. The Truth Revealed

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

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**Pegasus's Special Deck  
Chapter 4: The Truth Revealed**  
By Shadow's Mirror

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"Yugi! Hey Yug! Wake up, man!" Yugi stirred at the sound of Joey's anxious voice. He opened his eyes and Joey grinned in relief before turning to look at someone out of Yugi's sight. "Hey! He's awake!"

"Yugi? Are you all right?" Yugi's head snapped around at Téa's sweet voice. She was sitting on the table he'd seen her on earlier. She looked over at him worriedly, the faintest of blushes colouring her cheeks.

He nodded. "Yes. I think so. How about you?"

"I… I'm fine." Téa's blush deepened and she looked away.

"What happened to you two anyway?" Joey looked from Téa, who refused to meet his eyes, to Yugi, who was looking awfully pale, like he was sick or something.

Yugi shook his head, frowning slightly as he tried to remember. "I… came in and found Téa lying on a table… then… Bandit Keith!" Yugi struggled to sit up as he remembered. "Bandit Keith was here!"

"Whoa! Relax Yug! We got him already! At least, Tristan did." Joey helped Yugi to sit up and then grinned at him. "He found him in another part of the castle, in a control room or something. He was playing with one of Pegasus's toys. Bandit Keith that is, not Tristan. Anyway, Tristan knocked him out, unlocked the door and told Mai and me what was going on over the PA system."

"Oh." Yugi blinked and swung his legs over the table, but didn't get down. He still felt shaky and had a feeling that he'd only fall if he tried it. "So… what exactly was Bandit Keith doing?"

Joey shrugged. "Not sure. He had all these cards and files and stuff. Guess he thought that with Pegasus out of the way, it was a good time to go through his stuff and see what he could get away with. Get this though, Pegasus had files on each of us! Tristan said Kaiba's file is thicker than all of the others put together though!"

"Kaiba's file…" Yugi looked thoughtful.

- - -

It was all in the file Pegasus had kept on Seto Kaiba. Actually, the file wasn't so much about the real Seto, as it was about a programmed version of him that Pegasus had created in a very warped program that he'd called 'Shame Monsters'.

The program had been designed for the sole purpose of entertaining Pegasus. Apparently he'd had a few issues with Seto Kaiba. In the program, a twisted version of Mokuba use special 'Shame Monsters' cards in a duel against Seto. The idea was loosely based on Duel Monsters in the way it was set up, but most of the cards were spell and trap cards, rather than monsters, and only one of the two participants used them. The second participant was the one that the cards were used on.

The cards hadn't been designed to hurt, merely to embarrass, taunt and tease. What made Yugi and the others cringe though was the fact that Pegasus hadn't designed it purely as a computer program. He'd created it as a Virtual Reality system, complete with special bracelets that connected the person into the system. During a search of the control room, they'd discovered a set of videotapes marked only with dates. Tristan had played one, out of curiosity, but quickly turned it off again. Apparently Pegasus had put himself into the game on more than one occasion, usually taking over Mokuba's role. His enthusiasm was more than a little disturbing.

The file had included information and instructions for running the program and Bandit Keith had apparently seen it as the perfect opportunity for getting even with Joey and the others. He'd broken into Téa's room during the night and kidnapped her, taking her to the virtual reality room and connecting her to the system so she was unable to escape. After that, he'd pinned the note to her door and then had sat back and waited for someone to arrive at the room.

The door had been set to lock at the push of a button from the control room, and the sleeping-gas had been set up the same way. It was part of an elaborate security system for the room. Apparently Pegasus had been serious about keeping intruders from finding out about his program. But Keith had found another use for it.

After he'd caught Yugi, Keith had simply waited for the gas to dissipate then gone into the room and slipped the second bracelet onto Yugi's wrist before returning to the control room to run the program. There was no telling how long he would have toyed with Yugi and Téa if the program hadn't suddenly suffered a massive system failure.

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To be continued...


	5. Last Night on the Island

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.

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**Pegasus's Special Deck  
Chapter 5: Last Night on the Island**  
By Shadow's Mirror

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After their run-in with Bandit Keith, Yugi and the others didn't waste any time in leaving the castle. While all the attention had been on Yugi and Téa, Keith had managed to get away; so they were all wary as they made their way back to the dock. The boat wasn't due until the following day, but they wanted to be there when it arrived. As Joey put it, he wouldn't put it past Kaiba to have ordered the captain to turn around again if they weren't ready and waiting. So, nightfall found them all gathered around a fire in the stretch of open area between the dock and the forest.

Yugi lay in the grass thinking over what had happened. He couldn't remember anything except a few vague feelings of helplessness after Mokuba started dueling Téa, so he knew that Yami had taken over at that point. He also suspected that Yami had done something to destroy the machine. The others believed that Bandit Keith had made a mistake and broken it, but Yugi didn't think so. He closed his eyes, a slight smile on his face.

'Thank you.' From somewhere deep inside him, he felt the faintest response.

'For what?'

'For saving her. I don't know what happened, but I know you kept her safe.'

There was a strange sensation, as though the spirit was struggling to find the right words. 'The duel started. I… I have never seen an outfit such as that before.'

A vision flashed through Yugi's mind, stunning him.

"Yugi?"

Téa's voice. Yugi's eyes snapped open. Tea was kneeling beside him, looking at him curiously. He felt the heat rising into his cheeks. "Um… Téa… Hi." His voice shook as he sat up.

Téa blinked. "Yugi? Is something wrong?"

"Um… no… No! What could be…?" Yugi trailed off as Téa looked away. Suddenly the words simply tumbled out of him in a guilty rush. "Yami just showed me an image of the cat costume."

Yugi fell silent as Téa glanced at him in surprise. Then she smiled. It was a little shaky, but it was still a smile. "Oh." Her smile became more relaxed as she settled down beside Yugi, tucking her legs under her. "That's okay. I don't mind. It was just a little embarrassing at the time."

"I won't tell," Yugi promised softly and was rewarded with a grateful look.

"Thanks. So, you said it was Yami there, not you?" Téa frowned slightly. "I was sure…"

Yugi smiled. "It was me at first. Yami and I switched places when we realised you were in trouble."

Téa's eyes widened as she realised something. "The machine… did he make it stop?"

Yugi nodded slowly. "I think so." Although he was grateful to the spirit for helping Téa, something about the thought of Yami being able to use the incredible power of the Millennium Puzzle without his knowledge greatly disturbed Yugi.

"The power he has… It scares me a little." The words were so soft that Téa barely heard them.

"It's a lot to get used to. Just give it time. I'm sure that things will work out." She smiled at Yugi. "After all, you did say that you both worked as a team in order to defeat Pegasus."

Yugi thought about that for a moment, then smiled back. "You know Téa, you're absolutely right!"

- - -

Mai looked over at the two figures talking quietly on the other side of the fire. "Those two sure seem serious." She glanced at the boy sitting beside her. "I'm surprised that you're not over there."

Joey shrugged. "I figure they need time to talk over whatever happened in that virtual reality they were in. They know where to find me when they're ready to clue me in on it."

Mai blinked. "Why Joey Wheeler, that was almost… mature of you. Careful. At this rate you might just make me change my mind about you." She smiled slightly. Joey grinned back.

"Well we can't have that, now can we? Hey, I know! How about we have a look at these cards? Oh… probably not a good idea…" He paused in the act of pulling a deck of cards out of his bag and looked suddenly embarrassed as he tried to put them back again.

Mai raised an eyebrow. "What cards?" His behaviour stirred her suspicions. "Joey… what have you got there?" The tide of red rising up his neck and into his face was enough to confirm her guess. "You mean the cards in the program… they were real? You found them?"

Joey grinned shakily and ran his hand through his already hopelessly tousled hair. "Yeah… well… they were just lying there beside the files. I picked them up to look through while Tristan was looking at that video and I got a bit… distracted. I kinda… forgot I had them and ended up putting them away in my bag. Out of habit, I guess." He grinned sheepishly as Mai shook her head.

"Joey, Joey, Joey…" She sighed and then her smile became a wicked smirk. "Well? Let's see them then! I don't know about you, but I want to know what all the fuss is about!"

They studied the cards one by one. Within ten cards, they were both stunned. Halfway through the deck, Mai was shaking with silent laughter and Joey was having trouble keeping a straight face. By the time they'd seen the whole pack, they just stared at each other, trying not to laugh out loud.

Joey couldn't resist. "You know, even though I still think Keith's a rat for what he did to Téa and Yug, a part of me wishes that Pegasus had used these on Kaiba while he was at the castle. Especially this one." He pulled out his favourite card, a spell card with an image of an extremely frilly dress with a very short skirt. "And that I'd been there to see it."

Mai and Joey lasted almost a full second before they both burst out laughing at the thought of Kaiba in the dress.

Tristan looked up at the sound and stared. "What's gotten into them?" he wondered out loud, causing the boy sitting beside him to stir.

Ryou shook his head and shrugged, then returned to his silent contemplation of the campfire in front of him. As he stared unseeing into the flickering flames, his hand slowly rose and he distractedly rubbed his chest… and the ancient golden ring that was hidden below his shirt.

- - -

As they sailed away from the island the next morning, Tristan grinned. "Good riddance! Let's hope we never have to see that place again!"

Yugi and Téa both nodded in complete agreement.

Ryou nodded too, but his troubled eyes remained locked on the island as it faded into the distance.

Joey glanced at Mai and they both burst out laughing.

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The End


End file.
